Recap, News, and a Preview

By: jon | August 25th, 2008

I’m not sure if the other authors of this blog are planning on writing, but since we don’t communicate, and it would be a crime to not post about this weekend’s win, I figured I’d step in the breach.

First, let’s not get carried away. We beat Arsenal, yes. But, this Arsenal had no Fabergas, Rosicky, or Eduardo. So, Fulham beat a offensively handicapped Arsenal. You know what? I’ll take it anyway. Fulham’s midfield controlled play, and shut down Arsenal entirely. Passing was good, and the defense played better than against Hull. Brede Hangeland scored a ninja goal, scoring with the bottom of his shoes on a Jimmy Bullard cross. After that, with the help of the post and Arsenal’s finishing issues, Fulham held on. Think about it, barring a stupid mistake by Konchesky (who was dropped from the team against Arsenal…coincidence?), Fulham would be sitting at 4 points, tied for third. To avoid the relegation scrap, Fulham needs to capitalize on its games against the Hull City, Stoke, and Leicester teams, and hope for a draw against these upper echelon teams. This weekend, Fulham got lucky and took three.

On the news front, Eddie Johnson, Mr. All Speed, No Finish, was loaned out to Cardiff City with an option to be brought back in January. I hope he gets a starting place with Cardiff, and can get some confidence. It’s not like Fulham is brimming with quality up top right now. (Here’s an interview with Eddie about the move.)

Andy Johnson is still out with a leg injury. David Healy is off to Sunderland. So, we’ve got Zamora and Neveland as the two top choice forwards. I’d still like to see Clint Dempsey in that mix, as he filled in admirably with 6 goals in place of Brian McBride.

Evidentally, we’re signing a guy named Kagiso Dikcacoi from South Africa. He scored two times in World Cup qualifiers, and plays for a club team in S.A. called Bafana Bafana. Welcome, Kagiso.

On Wednesday, Fulham has a Carling Cup match against Leicester City, a League One side currently sitting second in the table with a +4 goal difference. No one else has articles about the upcoming game, so I’ve got no information. Come back before game day…